What we do
Background
Launched in 1995, the initial aim of the Young Women’s Project was to respond to the needs of homeless young women under the age of 21 in London. However, during early 1999, the project was repositioned so that both those at risk of homelessness and those being abused through prostitution became our priority.The project is now one of a network of nine new projects within Barnardo’s which aim to stop children being drawn into prostitution, to reduce the harm to them, and to find ways out.
More recently, our project has narrowed its criteria for accepting new referrals so that we now take on only those clients known to be already involved or at serious risk of being sexually exploited. Due to the effective functioning of Area Child Protection Committee (ACPC) protocols for protecting children abused through prostitution in four of our key boroughs; Islington, Camden, Hackney and Haringey, the project receives a steady flow of request to work with new clients – an average of two per week.
Overall, our client base has become younger with more 12-14 years olds being referred. Our team has developed it’s expertise in offering intensive one-to-one support, particularly in developing self-esteem and children’s abilities to recognise abusive and manipulative relationships.
In terms of preventative work, we have built closer relationships with several secondary schools and a number of residential units and have provided a number of awareness training sessions for both staff and young people.
Our premises
Both clients and professional colleagues comment on the attractiveness and accessibility of our project. The peaceful environment helps reduce the stresses and traumas our clients have faced in their tragic life stories.
Our staff
Over the years our project team has developed steadily in terms of knowledge and experience and is felt to be both supportive and diverse by its members. It has remained constant over the past year having been strengthened by the addition in January 2001 of a new project worker funded partly by Health Action Zone (HAZ) "GirlZone" funding and partly by Barnardo’s.
Our services
Intensive one-to-one support
Over the years we have developed therapeutic tools to work with a client group that is particularly disengaged and disaffected. Our primary aim in direct work is to increase the self-esteem and self-awareness of young women in order that they may reduce harm to themselves and/or to increase their capacity to protect themselves.
A major goal for the project was to collate a direct work file within a focused and therapeutic framework, which addresses issues that are particularly relevant to our client group. As a team we have successfully done this. In addition, we have also effectively utilised ‘Things We Don’t Talk About: Understanding Abusive Relationships’ Barnardo’s pack. This is a resource pack for girls and young women aged 11-18 which promotes self-esteem and tackles difficult issues such as abusive relationships and sexual exploitation.
We have found the resource pack invaluable in our key work sessions, project based groupwork and in the preventive, awareness raising work we do in both schools and residential units. It has not only helped to focus and structure our work, but has also equipped the project workers with the necessary confidence and tools to respond appropriately to the sensitive and often difficult-to-address issues of our client group. Furthermore, it has directly benefited the young women who access our project. This is because the therapeutic work we do with young women increases their sense of self-worth, aides them to make sense of their pasts and increases their understanding of risky behaviour and how to keep themselves safe.
Drop-in services
Our drop-in services provides a valuable informal service for young women to access our project. The sessions offer the young women the opportunity to receive support and advice on a wide range of issues, a chance to learn and develop new skills, a space in which to develop their awareness on how to keep themselves safe and an opportunity to relax and socialise with others in a female only environment.
Each month a programme is drawn up and offer a variety of activities including beauty demonstrations, fitness, cooking, watching videos, how to put on a condom and discussions on parenting, drug awareness, contraception and sexually transmitted infections.
Drop-ins are on Fridays from 12 noon - 5pm [12 noon – 3pm (under 14s), 2pm – 5pm (over 14s)]. The session on Friday has additional support from two sessional workers who enhance our service. One worker offers beauty therapy and our sexual health nurse, provides pregnancy testing, contraception, including emergency contraception and advice on sexually transmitted infections. The support of these workers, along with the many varied skills of the team’s project workers is what I believe makes our drop-in sessions a unique and valuable service for our client group.
Sexual health service: GirlZone
"GirlZone" was established at the project in January 2000 and is funded by the Department of Health’s Health Action Zone Innovations Fund. The project reports both to the Department of Health and to Camden and Islington HAZ and is run in partnership with London Brook.
